“We will rejoice in Thy salvation, and in the name of God we will set up our banners. The Lord fulfil all thy petitions.”—Psalm 20:5.
We stopped at several places on the way and held meetings. We also gave out tracts and papers, filling the rural mail boxes along the highways with gospel literature. Each morning we cooked our breakfast and had our morning worship by the roadside, then went on our way praising God for all His goodness in permitting us to preach His glorious gospel.
One night when we were sleeping out on the open prairie—as we were too heavily loaded to carry a tent—there came up a terrible storm. The wind blew at a terrific gale and the thunder and lightning were awful. We were fast asleep when a large coyote came near and began his loud barking, evidently sent by the Lord to awaken us just in time to see our clothes and hats sweeping across the plain before the fierce wind. We ran after them, and prayed the Lord to stop the storm, telling Him He had promised us that it should not rain on us. Then the wind stopped, also the thunder and lightning, and we had nice dry weather the rest of the way.
Arriving in Colorado Springs, we were welcomed by the dear pastor and people. They had a nice assembly, and the Lord sweetly worked the few days we were there.
Some people from the plains came asking us to come and hold meetings for them in a school-house. They had never heard Pentecost preached, excepting one woman who had read some about it and was hungry for the Baptism. We found the whole country Free Methodist, and they said they had the Holy Spirit.
We had meetings every night for about a week, everybody sitting back and looking on. On Sunday we were invited to the home of some of the leading people for dinner. After we had eaten, someone went to the piano and began playing a hymn, and we started to sing. Soon we heard a terrible noise. Looking around we saw the man of the house laid out in the middle of the floor, shaking from head to foot under the power of God. In fact his feet were up in the air and his whole body was shaking violently. His wife and the people were running out after water to throw on him. But we told them it was the power of God, and they must leave him alone. They declared he had a spell with his heart and was dying, but we kept on singing and holding on in prayer till he came through.
The news spread all over the country, and that night all the rigs and autos for many miles around were there bringing the people to see the strange sights. While we were singing, the daughter of this same man arose, came to the altar and fell under the power. The fire spread over the house, God working in a wondrous way. Some said it was the power of God, others said we were hypnotizing the people, and that was what made them fall. The whole country was stirred, and many heard the last-day message of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. We still receive letters from these people. They are holding on to God, and He is blessing them.
We also visited with dear Brother and Sister Roper and their sister Stout, at Immanuel Faith Home, in Pueblo. This is a school for orphan children, and a faith home where saints and missionaries can come and rest for a while. We were there for a week, and those were days of great blessing and refreshings from the Lord. These clear saints have opened that wonderful work in faith, looking to God to supply every need, and surely He has done according to His promise. The way we saw God work there in answering prayer was far beyond anything we had ever witnessed before, and the way the dear little children were taught to pray and trust God for their needs was blessed.
From there we went in the machine to Denver, where we spent two weeks at the camp-meeting. How the blessing of the Lord did come down on our souls! We were greatly refreshed and our faith was quickened. The latter was needed, for we were going to the mission field by faith, looking to the Lord alone to supply every need.
The camp-meeting was coming to a close and the tents were being taken down, but we did not know where we were to go next. As I was packing the suit-cases, and getting ready to leave, the Lord said to me, “Arrange your clothes, for you will go to Los Angeles in a few days.”